Today was the final shoot for the Livermore-Pleasanton Rod & Gun Club's Running Deer competition. Four teams contended for the top spot including United Sportsmen, Tri-City, Livermore and the Wildcats.

The competition consists of shooting at a life size wood cutout of a deer. Said deer is at about 125 yards and moves around 15 mph. Each shooter get three shots in about 10 seconds. 12 shots total are fired, in 3 shot strings, 2 strings consisting of the deer running from left to right and the other two strings from right to left. A total of 60 points is possible.

Scopes, red dots sights are permitted as well as semi-autos. While the most popular semi is the AR-15, bolt actions tend to be the favorite among the shooters.

The match is held once a month from Feb. through April with January being used as a practice shoot. Best aggregate total of the four months is used to determine the winner and this year's winner is the Wildcats who reclaimed their title after last year's narrow defeat by Tri-City. This year the Wildcats led by a comfortable margin.

One Wildcat, Johann Rock will be representing the United States in the Olympics. His father and teammate, John, is also an accomplished shooter, is one of the three regular shooters to ever have shoot a perfect score of 60. Today Johann shot an impressive score of 58, which places him in the Distinguished category.

Yours truly, who didn't practice at all this year (missed the practice shoot and the other three matches) shot 45 (lost two shots) and got elevated from Expert to Master (now I have to shoot with the good shots).

Concurrent with the Club BBQ next month will be the final Running Deer until the Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot. Rather than team shoots, this will be for bacon or linguicia (yum yum). Shooters are grouped in groups of six and the top gun claims the food.

Sounds like a lot of fun. How is your deer rigged up? Motor driven cable system or what? how much travel does it have?
I don't have a lot of experience with moving targets, and I have never shot at a wooden deer before, but last fall I took my 6x6 whitetail buck on flat out run at about that distance - 1 shot

The "deer" runs along a track and is pulled by a motorized cable. It's old technology but it still works.

One club member showed us a Guns Magazine circa 1974 and it had a view of the track. It also had a picture of him when his hair was all black. He still shoots running deer and hasn't lost his edge. D-mn. I hope I'm as good as he is in 25 years time.

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